Game



July 13 1926.

R. P. BECKWITH GAME Filed March 19, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR: I

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45 by two players.

Patented July 13, 1926. 2

UNITED STAT-ES PATENT OFFICE.

BEUBEN P. BECKWITH, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN D' CARDINELL, F MONTCBAIR, NEW JERSEY.

GAME.

Application filed March 19, 1925. Seriat No. 16,665.

This invention relates, generally,to amusement devices; and, the present invention has reference, more particularly, to'a novel game of a simple: construction which affords 5 amusement to the players, and at the same time being educational and instructive and that it also requires skill on the part of the players, in rapidly building upon a' playerboard, by means of lettered player-pieces a desirable number of complete words, some-' Other objects of the present inve ntion not at this time more particularly enumerated will be fully evident from the following detailed description of the same.

5 With the objects of the invention in view, the said invention consists, primarily, in the association with two or more player-boards divided into spaces, as above stated, of a multiplicity of player-pieces, some of which are provided with symbols, as letters, and others ofwhich are blanks.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a suitable box or'case, with its coverslightly raised, I showin an arrangement therein of the playercards and the layerieces. Figure 2 is a view showing, co lective and in plan, two of the player-boards and a set of th 40 plaver-piecesto be used therewith.

' F1gure3 is a perspective view, illustrating the use of two player-boards and an arrangement of the player-pieces in connection w1th said boards, when the game is being played Figure 4 is a view of the board and player pieces of one of the players, illustrating the use and steps of placing the player-pieces upon the player-board to spell words.

Referrin Figure 1 t e reference-character 1 indicates a suitable box or container in which the pla er-boards and player-pieces are adapted to be suitably arranged, when not in use,

now to the said drawin s, in

and 2 is a suitable cover or closure for the same.

The game may or four players, that herein described, and as shown in the accompanying drawings being for two players. In that case, the game consists of two player-boards or charts 3 and 4, each board being divided into sixteen playing spaces or squares 5, which are suitable numbers from Ito 16 inclusive, substantially imthe be played by two, three manner shown in-the several figures of lthe drawings. In addition to these boards-,br charts 3 and 4 there are a number of suitably shaped player-pieces or blocks, usually 6;} 1n

number, some of said pieces or blocks. as 6,

being provided with letters of the alphabet,

and other of said pieces or blocks, as-.17, being blanks, substantially as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.

The object of the game, as will be evident from an inspection of the illustration represented in the upper portion of Figure 3 of the drawings, is to completely fill a playerboard .or chart of such sixteen squares or spaces 5, with layer-pieces containing letters and with lanks, so as to form .a

minimum of four words, all spaces or squares not covered by such formed words,

being covered by blank player-pieces. The words to be formed must read left to right and from top to bottom, but no two letters may be adjacent to each other unless a complete' word is formed. The player who first fills his player-board or chart making a complete cross-word puzzle of four. words or more announces himself as the winner.

The method of playing the game, primarily, is as follows The several player-pieces or blocks 6 and 7 are shuflied face down and built into a wall across the table two deep and four across making a rectangle of eight blocks when viewedfrom the end.- The dealer then deals four pieces or blocks around from left to right, until each player has sixteen pieces. Each player thereupon arranges the pieces which were dealt him upon his board or chart, making as many words or parts of words as he can with the number of letters drawn, the rules of the game preferably requiring that there shall be no proper nouns, no abbreviations, and no one-letter words.

The player in turn then draws one piece or black from the wall, at the end of the wall from which the dealer drew the dealt pieces or blocks, the player discarding, face up, whatever lettered or blank piece or block he can not use in the formation of his words. The succeeding player, of course, may choose the discard of the preceding player, or he may draw directly from the wall.

As soon as a player has succeeded in completing the four words, being the minimum,

he covers'the exposed spaces of the board or chart with the blank player-pieces in the manner, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, and calls game. 1 Suitable scoring rules may be had as folows:

1. The winner collects from his opponent, or from each player when there are more than two players, the sum total of all numbers upon all spaces covered by lettered blocks forming non-completed words, plus the number of the spaces covered by the blank pieces, less the number of the spaces covered by the blank pieces upon the winners board or chart, that is lilting from the loscrsboard only those lettered player-pieces which at the time do not form a completed word, in addition to the blank pieces, as above said.

2. If any formed words are misspelled the loser pays double.

3. If the winner has a word misspelled in his completed word-puzzle, any player may call attention to the fact, in which case the game continues. until the mistake is corrected, or the other player wins, at which time the first winner pays the second winner double. It the second winner happens to be the player who noticed the mistake of the firstelaimant winner, then said first winner pays treble the debt. If, however, the first Winner wins again, after having made correction, then said player who called the mistake, shall be freed from paying any debt.. =1. In case the losing player has a completed word preceded by or followed by a letter, thefcombination of which does not constitute a word, then the loser in addition to paying the. regular debt as above stated, must add thereto the difference of said extra letter and the adjacent letter eitherfollowing or preceding said extra letter.' I 5, If the winner completesfour words covering the outside squares or spaces of the player-board or chart, then he collects double from the loser, and in case the winner succeeds in filling the entire board or chart with correctly spelled words, reading from right to left, and from top to bottom, thus making eight words in all, then he doubles his winnings twice, or in other words, the loser pays four times his score.

Of course it will be understood that the above is but one illustration of rules, and other rules for playing the cross-word game by two or more players may be provided with the herein-described device; and, furthermore, it will be evident that more than two player-boards may. be provided, and that the lettered, as well as the blank playerpieces may be increased, as may be found desirable.

It will also be understood that the number of playingspaces or squares may be changed, ifdesired, and that various other changes may be made in the various devices and parts. without departing from the general scope of my present invention.

I claim 1. A game combining with a player-board divided into rows of squares, or the like, each square being provided with a scoring number, a plurality of player-pieces, some of said pieces being provided with letters, and others of said pieces being blanks, said lettered pieces being adapted to be-placed upon the numbered squares to form complete words, either horizontally or vertically.

2. A game combining with a player-board divided into rows of squares, or the like, said squares being variously numbered from Lto 16 inclusive, a plurality of player-pieces, some of said player-pieces being provided with designations, and others of said pieces being blanks.

3. A game combining with a player-board divided into rows of squares, or the like, said squares being variously numbered from 1 to 16 inclusive, a plurality of player-pieces, some of said player-piecesbeing provided with letters, and others of said pieces being blanks.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of March, 1925.

REUBEN P. BECKIVITH. 

